Commissions
For a long time I refused to take on any personal commissions because my usual workload and deadlines made it almost impossible to fit them in. However it occurred to me that I occasionally could fit them in… so as long as I make a couple of things clear I can offer these on a limited basis:
- I only accept commissions when I have some flexibility on the drawing board and feel I can get them done in a reasonable amount of time. I often have to turn down offers for commissions due to workload or other reasons.
- Commissions are for personal use only, and no copyrights are transferred. You may use the art for your social media profile/cover images, but for no commercial purpose. That means you, realtors.
- The commissions I am offering here are studio commissions, not to be confused with the less expensive quick-draw caricatures and sketches I do onsite at comic book conventions. Those take me 10-15 minutes. These take me hours. I only do the quick-draw stuff at cons or my occasional “Virtual Artist Alley” events. If you want one of those, come visit me at a comic con, real or virtual!
- For other considerations and requirements, see the bottom of this page for details.
That said, here’s what I offer for commissions:
THE BRONZE
This is a 9″ x 12″ or similarly sized pencil sketch caricature of you or the person of your choice (yes, I can do your favorite celebrity, boss, uncle, or televangelist as well as you), done in a similar style to my ‘Sketch o’the Week’ i.e. a detailed pencil drawing with crosshatching. Drawn on 67lb vellum bristol, these are typically a basic head and shoulders/torso sort of pose, but if you want some kind of action or activity involved we can do that for a little extra cost. These start at $200.
THE SILVER
This is a 9″ x 12″ or similarly sized black and white drawing, fully inked and embellished with ink washes. Done on 500 series heavyweight bristol board, they are inked with dip pen and brush with india ink and ink wash. Typically these are more of a full body pose with the subject doing something (which can be suggested by you) and may include a gag of some kind which I come up with as the mood strikes me. These start at $500.
THE GOLD
This is a 9″ x 12″ or similarly sized full color drawing, fully inked in a similar manner to the Silver level art described above. Done on 500 series heavyweight bristol board, they are inked with dip pen and brush with india ink and possibly some ink wash touches. The inked original is then scanned in and colored via Photoshop in the same style as I color my artwork for MAD and other clients, producing a full color digital illustration. Shipped to you will be the inked original (signed) and a high resolution printed copy of the final colored art (also signed), plus the original digital color file emailed to you for your use on your website/social media. These start at $700.
THE PLATINUM
This is a 9″ x 12″ or similarly sized full color hand painted illustration in traditional media. These are done on cold press illustration board, inked with a dip pen/brush, and painted with watercolor and archival mixed media embellishments as I see fit. Typically these are full body poses featuring some fun action/theme as suggested by you and possibly a gag as conceived by me. Shipped to you will be the original painting (signed) and any rough concept sketches that were part of the process. You will also be emailed a high resolution scan of the illustration for your use on your website/social media. These start at $1000.
If you are interested in having me do a commission for you, please contact me to discuss.
Considerations and Requirements
APPROVAL PROCESS: These are caricatures, not GlamourShots. While I am not a ‘mean guy’ caricaturist I am a truthful one… I will not accept art direction that requires me to ignore what you really look like (or at least what the pictures I am working from look like) and attempt to draw what you WANT to look like. To that end, here is how the approval process works
- You commission me to do a caricature of a subject. You send me a photo(s) of the subject and 50% of our agreed upon price upfront, which is non-refundable.
- I do a rough pencil sketch of the subject based on those photos and send them to you for review.
- You do one of two things:
- Approve the sketch- You send me the balance of payment and I then work the drawing up to final form and send it off to you.
- Reject the sketch- I send you the original sketch (if you want it) and we agree to end the commission there and then.
I will not redraw the pencil sketch in an attempt to figure out what you think you look like or want to look like. If you don’t like the sketch, fair enough, but the commission process ends there and your deposit covers my time and efforts on the work to that point. I will make adjustments, based on your direction, to the pose or any action/accessories that doesn’t have anything to do with the likeness or caricature.
PAYMENT: Any level of commission requires a non-refundable payment of 50% of the agreed upon price upfront. The remaining 50% is payable upon approval of the pencil sketch and my proceeding to final art. Once the sketch is approved and final art commences the payment of the balance is also non-refundable, and your original art is yours to own. No refunds for or revisions to the final art will be considered. All sales are final.
PHOTO REFERENCE: I will do a caricature of anyone you commission me to. All I need are a couple of decent pictures of that subject. The quality of the photo reference makes a great deal of difference in how well the final art turns out. Photos that do not show the face clearly, are too small, too blurry, show them at an age or with an expression or look that is not what you want the drawing of them to depict (like with an old hairstyle, with glasses they no longer wear, etc) will prevent me from being able to capture them properly in caricature. I can use several pictures that show me different elements you want to combine to create the subject as you want them to look in the drawing, but I am at the mercy of the photos I am given. Pictures that are recent, of good quality, and preferable show me expressions you consider to be indicative of the subject work best. Multiple angles of the face are also very helpful. Candid snapshots are often the best, whereas studio photos that have been PhotoShopped to death not so much.